Dive Brief:
- Globally, employers are reporting that they are facing their most acute talent shortage since 2007, according to ManpowerGroup's latest survey. Of the 42,000 employers surveyed, 40% are struggling to fill open positions.
- In response, more employers are turning toward training their own people. Over half of respondents said they were opting to train and develop their own people in response to shortages, a sharp increase over the 20% who said the same in the 2015 survey.
- According to the survey, the hardest to fill jobs remain "skilled trade workers."
Dive Insight:
Learning and development have taken on new relevance in this job seeker's market, meaning making those programs more engaging for employees has become key. Millennials are particularly drawn to learning programs that help them gain skills to build their careers, and it's been seen as a powerful way to keep millennials in the fold for longer.
Gamification has emerged as one important way to make learning more appealing. More learning programs are also being pushed toward "microlearning" modules that are easily accessible and able to be taken in short bursts so that employees can learn while still remaining productive throughout the day.